One thing I love about camping is the cooking. But after setting up the tent, the bedding and making the fire the last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time prepping and cooking food. Here are some easy to do campfire recipes that don't take any time to prepare and cook.

Hot dogs are a camping staple. In fact they go together like PB&J! One of the best ideas for camping food is a hot dog. Don’t limit yourself to just any hot dog. Remember there are all kinds of different ones. Chicken, beef and turkey hot dogs are all great. There are even some you can buy with cheese inside them! One thing that has worked for me (and that little kids like) is taking the hot dog and cutting the bottom half into strips. Pop the top part onto a stick and once the hot dog starts cooking it turns into an octopus! The heat from the fire causes the strips to curl. Now throw the hot dog on a bun and add some condiments!

Don't just want a hot dog? Then how about some pigs in a blanket? Pop the hot dog onto the stick and then take some biscuits from a can and wrap it around then hot dog. I find it best to have something help hold up the stick in the fire so the biscuit can cook all the way through (and your arms don't get tired). These are also nice & quick way to do something different. Some good dipping sauces would be ketchup, mustard, honey mustard or just eat it plain!

So now we have dinner (or lunch) down how about breakfast? A good idea is bagels. Take a bagel and separate the two parts. Next put one half on the stick and hold it over the fire. Toast the bagel to your likeness. Afterwards add some butter and jelly or butter and cream cheese. Another thing I also like doing is after I added the butter and cream cheese I place a piece of sliced cheese on top and balance the bagel over the fire with two sticks so that the sliced cheese can melt. This is a very easy, warm breakfast to have while camping.

Another food that I like eating while camping is shish kabobs. These are fast to make and can be customized for anybody! I really like to use the metal pokers or shish kabob cages for these versus a stick but if you have a thin stick you can probably make it work. Make sure to have a plethora of meats, vegetables and fruits available. I suggest cutting them into 2-3 inch pieces too. Some of my favorite shish kabobs to have are themed. If you want a Hawaiian night, take shrimp, pineapple, and yellow squash and add it onto the stick. Then coat all the pieces with teriyaki sauce. Hold the stick over the fire until the shrimp is pink and the fruit and vegetables are starting to brown.

So there are plenty of ideas out there to make delicious, easy campfire food. Kids love to help, so encourage them to give their input and make their own. And also remember, nothing says easy like a piece of meat on stick!